This is the CRIME REPORT for the City of Cerritos for the week of September 3 through September 9, 2012.

Part I felony investigations dropped to 15 last week compared to 21 the previous one. During the current reporting
period, robberies and residential burglaries remained the same while commercial burglaries, vehicle burglaries
and vehicle thefts declined. Field deputies handled 238 calls for service last week, down from 265 the week before.
The 2012 weekly average in calls for service remains at 269.

Two robbery incidents were reported last week. The first was an attempted robbery that occurred on Wednesday September 5 at 11:53 a.m. in the 11200 block of Gonsalves Street. Two suspects were attempting to rob a male victim and his son after making an arrangement for a transaction on Craigslist. An alert neighbor called Cerritos Station and deputies interrupted the crime and arrested both suspects. On Thursday September 6 at 10:40 a.m. a male entered a gas station in the 16800 clock of Norwalk Boulevard and produced a handgun. The salesclerk ran out of the building and the suspect was forced to leave without any money.
Residential burglaries remained the same at three last week. An unlocked door and window were used as entry points and a door was kicked in during the third crime. A bicycle was the only reported loss. The 2012 weekly average in residential burglaries is now 4.6.

Alert neighbors are instrumental in the apprehension of criminals. As with the attempted robbery described above, one call was all it took to get deputies on the scene and the results were in the best interests of all involved (except for the criminals!) Don’t hesitate to call the Sheriff’s Station if you see someone or something suspicious.

Two commercial burglaries were recorded compared to three the week before. A fitness center locker and a close business were targeted. A wallet was the only item determined to be missing. The 2012 weekly average in “other structure”/commercial burglaries is 2.0.

Vehicle burglaries dropped from eight to four last week. High-volume commercial parking lots were the crime scenes in three of the recent cases. Three were SUVs. A flashlight, knives, a wallet, cell phones, MP3 players and CDs were stolen. The 2012 weekly average in vehicle burglaries is 7.4.

SUVs, vans, and pick-up trucks are not equipped with secure trunk space that hold and conceal property. These types of vehicles were involved in three of the four vehicle burglaries reported, and are clearly in the majority again this year. Thieves are well aware of this and will rarely come up empty-handed after they break in. Keep this in mind and avoid leaving anything at all of value in these types of vehicles.

No vehicle thefts were reported last week. Two were logged the three previous consecutive weeks. The new 2012 weekly average in vehicle thefts remained at 3.1.

Go to www.safercerritos.com for an extensive library of crime prevention tips, disaster preparedness information, and a variety of links to other pertinent sites.